


Graduating Class

by aquilaofarkham



Category: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed III - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - After College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Gen, Graduation, Modern Era, Mother-Son Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2016-04-25
Packaged: 2018-06-04 13:22:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6659761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquilaofarkham/pseuds/aquilaofarkham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as he’s about to graduate from university, Connor receives a surprise visit from Ziio who congratulates him as they have a conversation about his future plans and what else he’s been doing throughout his school career.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Graduating Class

Ratonhnhaké:ton thought he would never get used to Boston. When he was younger, he called the state of New York as well as the tight knit community that raised him home. But after a couple years, Massachusetts Bay eventually grew on him. It certainly didn’t take very long to get into a daily routine, albeit a very busy one: run to campus, attend classes, rush over to part time job, buy some take out dinner and maybe there’d be enough time for a homework session before going to bed. Needless to say, he felt very happy to be done with that schedule.

Five whole years. Ratonhnhaké:ton still couldn’t believe it no matter how often he reminded himself. It had been that long since he decided to live on his own and attend university at the same time. Of course it was hard and the many, _many_ instances when he wanted to quit and go back to his real home made the years even harder. But Ratonhnhaké:ton didn’t want to think about all the rough patches and mistakes he put behind him. Instead he wanted to take advantage of however many days of freedom he still had left until officially graduating.

It felt a little strange to be in his apartment with nothing to do; nothing that had to do with writing essays or studying for the latest exam at least. For the first time since first year, Ratonhnhaké:ton managed to wake up well past eight am on a Monday. His only plan for that day was figuring out if he actually owned anything formal he could wear to the upcoming ceremony.

Despite the difficulty of finding an outfit that looked somewhat fancier than a basic old t-shirt, sweater, or leather jacket, Ratonhnhaké:ton eventually pulled a white dress shirt out of his closet. It was unironed, a little small, and he couldn’t remember if he ever wore it recently, but it would have to do. After spending the next hour searching for a decent pair of jeans, he heard a couple knocks at his front door.

“Who is it?” He called, walking out of his bedroom.

“Not answering the door anymore?” A familiar voice responded from the other side. Upon hearing it, Ratonhnhaké:ton smiled widely. He quickly opened the door to greet the one person he missed the most during his five-year absence. Kaniehtí:io was dressed very casually, had a little bit of grey in her two dark braids, and seemed just as if not even more happy to see her son.

“Surprised?”

“Very surprised,” Ratonhnhaké:ton answered before hugging her. “Did you drive all the way from Albany?”

“No actually, I took a bus. I wanted to congratulate you and thought it would be better to do it in person rather than over the phone or Skype. Can I come in or are you too busy right now?”

“No, not at all! Please, come in. Would you like some tea?”

“I would love some, thank you.” Kaniehtí:io said as she walked into the homely but still welcoming apartment. She remembered the pictures Ratonhnhaké:ton sent to her when he began living by himself, making his first home look much smaller than it actually was. “I’m glad to see you decided to stick with this place for so long.”

“I grew attached to it. And I did not think I would find a better apartment with the same affordable rent anywhere else,” Ratonhnhaké:ton replied from the kitchen. It felt good to finally have a full conversation in Kanien’kéha again. After boiling some water, he prepared a couple cups with tea bags in each one before bringing them both over to a small table fit for two people.

“How are things back home?” Ratonhnhaké:ton asked as he and Kaniehtí:io sat down.

“Same as always. Everyone is doing just fine, but we all miss you a lot.”

“I miss everyone as well. Especially you, Oiá:ner, and Kanen’to:kon.” Ratonhnhaké:ton wasn’t always living alone. He and his best friend were nearly inseparable in both childhood and university. It might have only been for three years, but for Ratonhnhaké:ton they were good years.

“He still feels bad about needing to drop out,” Kaniehtí:io said, taking a sip of tea.

“At least he tried. University is not for everyone, I told him that, but he wanted to keep pushing himself. I am proud of him.” History courses, with their endless amounts of reading and writing, were never easy and Ratonhnhaké:ton commended Kanen’to:kon for getting as far as he did. Kaniehtí:io nodded in agreement.

“Well, he’s very proud of you. Are you going to stay at your job?”

“Until I can find a better one.”

“Do you not like it?”

“No, I like it well enough. But I plan and hope to find one I really want.” Once he officially received his degree in history and community development, that was going to be Ratonhnhaké:ton’s number one goal.

“What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking about applying to a couple historic sites, museums, and cultural centers in the city. Though they might only be looking for volunteer positions, not full time jobs.”

“You could always move back to New York and curate an exhibit on the history of the Haudenosaunee. Or better yet, an entire museum.”

“That is definitely the dream.”

“Well you can always come to me for help if you start having any troubles or concerns about money.”

Ratonhnhaké:ton smiled as he stared down at his tea. Kaniehtí:io had been saying that since he first moved to Boston. “Thank you so much, but I am doing all right. I have actually been earning some extra money from your friend Achilles.”

“Achilles Davenport?” Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded. “It’s been years since I last saw him. How is he?”

“To be honest… he is a little grumpy most of the time. But he has many entertaining stories to tell and I like to keep him company.”

“What does he pay you for?”

“I help him run errands, clean up his garden, and finish some home renovations. I tried telling him that paying me was not necessary but he would not listen.”

“That is so kind of you, Ratonhnhaké:ton. I am glad that old house of his has not caved in on him.”

Kaniehtí:io drank the rest of her tea while Ratonhnhaké:ton went quiet, thinking about how to put his current thoughts into words without sounding presumptuous. Despite some petty arguments and spats, he and Achilles did form a close bond over the past few years. But something about the old man made him curious.

“Istá…” He began cautiously. “Does Achilles have any children?”

Kaniehtí:io paused as her expression slowly turned serious. “Why do you ask?”

“Sometimes when Achilles is trying to get my attention or tell me something, he will call me Connor. For the first couple occasions, I corrected him and thought it was just another symptom of getting old. He apologized but then kept doing it, perhaps without realizing. Again, I did not think too much about it but… I was wondering if he has a family member named Connor. I wanted to ask because you two have known each other for a long time.”

Placing her cup back on the table, Kaniehtí:io lowered her gaze and said nothing, as though she was in deep thought. “Achilles did have a son named Connor,” she finally sighed. “But years ago, he and his mother both got sick and passed away. This was before you were even born. Since then, Achilles shut himself up and nearly became a recluse. For a while I started to worry for him.”

“He… he never told me…”

“I’m not surprised. Achilles was never the type to openly talk about… emotional things.”

Ratonhnhaké:ton didn’t know how to feel or what exactly to say. Anxiously rubbing the back of his neck, he thought about all the years Achilles spent alone and isolated. “Do you think that… maybe in his old age, he mistakes me for Connor?”

“You could think of it like that. Either way, I believe he has come to think of you as his own son.”

Ratonhnhaké:ton gave her a bittersweet smile. Achilles situation was a sad one, but he always did have his own personal methods of showing affection, even if they were subtle and often easy to miss. If Ratonhnhaké:ton eventually chose to move out of Boston, he was definitely going to miss the old man.

“Thank you so much for coming, Istá.”

“You do not need to thank me, I always love visiting you. I’m just disappointed in myself for not doing it sooner.”

“Are you going to stay for the ceremony?”

“Of course I am! I cannot wait to see you.” For the rest of their conversation, Kaniehtí:io gushed over how good he was going to look in his graduation gown and cap. Meanwhile Ratonhnhaké:ton tried not to act too embarrassed.

**Author's Note:**

> Another modern day one shot because I will never get enough of modern!au Connor. Also Ziio is alive because there are not enough happy fics with her and Connor and I like to deny canon.


End file.
